E. W. Richardson

MR> Allow me to introduce E.W.Richardson, poet and author. His latest book of poems is Conjunctions of Invisible Breath. Let's begin by asking what the E. W. stand for.

EW> E.W. is for Ernest Wayne. I chose to use my initials for all
published venues as it fits better in print.

MR> You are a poet but you have also written, in your own words, 'everything from humor to erotica'. Where do see a 'best fit' for your future writing?

EW> Determining a “best fit” for my writing is not easy. I tend to
write on a wide range of subjects, both in poetry and fiction. Poetry
is what gives me my biggest rush, as far as writing, although I do
love spinning a good short story. In both venues, poetry and fiction,
the possibilities are endless, as far as self-expression by an
author. If there is a best fit, it would have to be theme…all of my
writing, whether poetry or fiction, from the humorous to the erotic
is about the relationship of things…that mysterious, sometimes
happy, sometimes sad, sometimes beautiful sometimes ugly interplay of
experience. It is these things, big and small, good and bad that form
the foundations of our existence.

MR> Do you use a particular technique for writing longer work, such as outlines?

EW> I have specific ways of writing, depending on whether it is
fiction or poetry. Fiction is always done with an outline, to insure
that characters are fully developed and time lines are proper. With
poetry, it depends on the type or style of verse. Free verse I just
let flow, a stream of consciousness thing. Form verse takes bit more
work and are more challenging, do the parameters of a specific form.
Whether free verse or form, nearly all of my verse is written with
music playing, specifically, blues and jazz…and when I am working
in a romantic/erotic theme, it is always blues and jazz.

MR> Are you working on something right now that you would like to tell us about?

EW> I have several irons in the fire so to speak. There is a
collection of my romantic/erotic verse that is being looked at by a
publisher at this writing. I have two other poetry collections,
collaborations, which are in the mill. Most exciting to me, is a
collection of short stories, that I hope to have complete and to a
publisher this fall. It is a sampler of the types of fiction I write
and will be titled, aptly, Mulligan Stew.

MR> With poems, do you begin with an overall idea, or work a line at a time?

EW> When writing poetry, for me, it always begins with an idea, a
moment of inspiration. Once that occurs, then I decide on how to
present it. Sometimes the moment dictates the form, other times, I
choose to present it within a specific form both as a challenge and
for its effect.

MR> Which of your writings is your personal favorite, that you are most happy with?

EW> I have written really good fiction, but it is still the poetry
that is my favorite. I feel it allows me to touch a reader on a more
personal level. I do not have a favorite, individual piece of verse
though. There a pieces that I have been and still am proud of for
various reasons, but each piece is so unique, it cannot be compared
to another. However, of all my poetry, if asked which I especially
like, it would have to be those written in the tanka form.

I have had the opportunity to talk to many poets over the years, of
all levels of experience. There is one bit of advice I often give,
especially to those just beginning to find their own voice in
verse…read as much as you write and never let yourself be hindered
by popular belief. Free verse is good but so is form verse. To truly
understand where your verse is going, take time to find out where it
has been.

MR> Erny, thanks for visiting with me. I know your work can be enjoyed on authorsden.com and can be purchased on amazon.com, lulu.com, and Barnes & Noble.